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Ramsey's still going strong

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Sam Ramsey and Tony Ramsey sit among the large selection of La-Z-Boy Recliners available at Ramsey's Furniture.

Almost 90 years ago the Ramsey family opened a furniture store just off of the Covington square on Clark Street.

Today, former mayor of Covington Sam Ramsey runs the store, which has approximately 30,000 square feet of display space.

Before opening the store off of the square in 1919, Ramsey’s grandfather, C.D. Ramsey, owned a general store on Salem Road. In 1922, Ramsey’s father C.D. Jr., took over care of the store.

In 1948, Ramsey’s placed its first television set in the front display window for passer-bys to see. As many as a hundred people lined the exterior of the store to watch a tiny 10-inch black-and-white RCA model beam the test pattern of WSB until a network executive came on air to introduce the station.

While in college, Ramsey added a record section to the store, which at the time was the only one in the five-county area.

Famous visitors to the store include Vice President Alvin Barkley and President Jimmy Carter.Through the years Ramsey’s has weathered The Great Depression and economic recessions, only to survive and continue to serve the people of Newton County.

“I must admit this round of economic downturn is the first one I’ve experienced,” Ramsey said.Today, Ramsey’s has one of the largest selections of Lazy Boy furniture in Georgia. Because the Ramsey family has such long-standing relationships with furniture manufacturers, they are able to pass their savings on to their customers.

“My floor is a lot different today than what I had 25 years ago,” Ramsey said.He explained how he was able to sell as much living room furniture as he does today with only a third of the inventory.

“You just didn’t have the selection you have today,” Ramsey said. “Customers demand to see more and more.”

Throughout the years, Ramsey’s has always been a family affair.

“It’s been a pleasure to have Tony Ramsey be the fourth generation of the Ramsey family to serve Newton County,” Ramsey said.

Serving people he knows personally has always been enjoyable for Ramsey and something he said sets the store apart from other larger furniture chains.

“I think our store is a lot different for the people involved, and me too, because we know each other,” Ramsey said. “I’m certainly going to try to do the best I can do for friends and people I’ve known all my life.”